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INDUSTRIAL 
JUSTICE 

Absolutely  Essential 
to  Perpetuity  of 
Popular  Government 


BY 


E.  H.  COLLER 


COPYRIGHTED  1914 


Every  citizen  owes  it  to  himself 
as  zvell  as  to  his  fellow  citizen 
to  read  every  word  contained 
in  this  little  booklet. 


PRICE  WITHIN  THE  REACH  OF  ALL 
SINGLE  COPY  FIVE  CENTS 


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Modern  Industrialism 


The  harnessed  forces  of  nature  as  repre¬ 
sented  by  such  concentrated  power  for  produc¬ 
tion  as  our  varied  modern  manufacturing  and 
corporate,  concerns ;  together  with  our  mono¬ 
polized  water  powers  and  possible  future  forces 
so  concentrated ;  are  forces  that  are  feeding  a 
stream  which  has  grown  to  such  proportions  as 
to  monopolize  and  centralize  all  the  main  arter¬ 
ies  and  their  tributaries  of  modern  industry; 
With  result  that  this  stream  is  ever  widening  and 
its  powers  for  concentration  ever  growing,  be¬ 
coming  a  stream  the  force  of  which  is  making  a 
current  against  which  the  masses  are  finding  it 
ever  more  and  more  difficult  to  advance,  and 

v 

against  which  they  are  obliged  to  wage  an  ever 
n^ore  relentless  battle  for  subsistance,  or  be  swept 
away,  and  finally  with  a  loss  of  individuality, 
economic  stability  and  independence  become 
driftwood  upon  the  shores  of  this  great  river, 
Modern  Industrialism. 

And  today  we  find  this  great  river  hemmed 
in  upon  all  its  borders  with  the  direlects  of  human 
society — paupers,  criminals  and  insane,  together 
with  charitable  and  penal  institutions,  philan¬ 
thropic  organization  and  its  twin  sister,  the  poor 
house. 


C(o%2^  ■ 

INDUSTRIAL  JUSTICE 


—INTRODUCTORY — 

Industrial  Justice  is  an  absolute  essential  to  race  betterment,  and  to  per¬ 
petuity  of  popular  government:  It  is  a  matter  of  history,  tha't,  during  rule  of 
King  George  III,  when  Thomas  Paine  left  England  and  came  to  this  country  he 
found  the  colonists  clamoring  for  Justice,  whining  about  their  grievances  and 
upon  bended  knees  imploring,  George  III'.,  by  the  grace  of  God,  for  a  restitution 
of  their  ancient  privileges ;  they  were  not  dreaming  of  independence,  or  endeavor¬ 
ing  to  become  free  men,  but  were  trying  to  soften  the  heart  of  their  master. 

It  has  been  said  that  Thomas  Paine  did  more,  than  any  other  man,  to  cause 
the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

As  this  government  was  founded  by  a  Declaration  of  political  and  national 
Independence  against  the  oppression  of  Monarchial  tyranny ;  so  must  it  be  per¬ 
petuated  by  a  Declaration  of  Industrial  Independence  against  the  oppression  of  a 
system  of  Industrial  tyranny:  Such  Declaration  to  be  brought  about  through  Fed¬ 
eral  legislation. 

The  one  act  on  part  of  the  Ford  Automobile  Manufacturer  in  sharing  ten 
millions  of  net  profits  with  employees,  is  the  greatest  fundamental  essential  step — 
and  it  is  only  a  step  in  sharing  of  net  profits — that  has  ever  been  taken  toward 
Race  Betterment  in  this  country ;  I  hope  to  prove  that  Industrial  Regeneration 
must  supersede  any  essential  betterment  of  our  evil  social  and  Industrial  condi¬ 
tions. 

During  a  somewhat  extended  consideration  of  Industrial  conditions,  I  have 
found  that  to  voice  the  proposition  of  Social  and  Industrial  lustice  in  attempt  to 
enlist  the  interest  of  so  called  modern  reformers,  has  been  for  most  part  “A  waste 
of  breath  on  the  desert  air;”  I  regret  that  my  conductions  lead  me  to  believe  that 
most  reformers,  today,  are  simply  muck-racking  over  the  dumpheaps  of  effects, 
of  Evil  Causes  or  conditions  of  the  past.  That  in  their  efforts  to  grasp  the  new 
order  oi  things,  they  fail  to  loose  their  hold  upon  the  old  order,  “The  survival  of 
the  fittest ;  That  prosperity  depends  upon  and  results  from  individual  acquirement 
of  efficiency  and  the  individual  emolument.” 

Here  can  be  applied  a  true  economic  law ;  That  as  the  individual  becomes  pro¬ 
ficient  in  the  sciences,  he  becomes  of  greater  economic  value  to  society;  But,  if 
that  same  society  fails  to  advance,  economically,  in  proportional  ratio,  it  fails  to 
be  in  position  to  take  advantage  of  the  new  condition  or  order  of  things.  As  a  re¬ 
sult  neither  the  individual  nor  society  receive  the  benefits  that  should  accrue  from 
advancement  in  science  and  industry. 

It  is  a  travesty  on  civilization  and  perversion  of  lustice,  in  a  world  so  full  of 
resources  and  so  resourceful  a  people,  that  the  individual  should  become  so  much 
the  victim  of  evil  circumstances  over  which  he  has  no  control ;  Little  children  are 
being  born  and  men  are  growing  old,  and  the  ‘hell’  of  it  all  is,  that  so  many  are 
born  and  so  many  grow  old  and  die  in  conditions  of  squalor,  degradation  and 
despair  because  of  the  gratification,  of  the  individual  ambition  and  desire,  through 
greed  and  avarice. 

.  Man  was  destined  to  dominate  the  earth  and  not  his  fellow  man ;  Humanity 
was  destined  to  inherit  the  earth,  not  to  be  dominated  by  it. 

Only  he,  whose  love  of  country  is  exceeded  by  his  love  for  his  fellow  man, 
and  who  is  willing  to  concede,  to  every  unborn,  living  or  dead,  American,  as 
much  as  he  might  desire  for  himself,  is  a  truly  great,  good  and  patriotic  American 
citizen,  and  the  discussions,  of  Euthenics,  Eugenics  and  kindred  subjects  worthy 
of  consideration,  are  such  as  made  by  purely  patriotic  citizens. 


Charity  and  sympathy  will  never  solve  or  dissolve  the  Industrial  and  social 
evils.  The  farther  you  go  up  or  down  the  scale  of  civilization,  the  more  prevalent 
become  the  evil  social  conditions,  and  the  one  feasible  remedy  consists  in  lengthy 
ening  and  strengthening  of  the  line  of  social  equality.  To  do  this  necessitates  the 
broadening  and  strengthening  of  the  one  and  only  firm  foundation,  upon  which 
humanity  can  find  solid  footing — Material  Equity  (Industrial  Equity.) 

History  has  never  recorded  a  time  when  there  was  so  concerted  an  action  on 
part  of  the  people  as  at  present,  to  reveal  the  cause  and  provide  a  remedy  for 
conditions,  which  result  in  so  much  of  social  evil,  political  discord  and  industrial 
unrest.  Yet,  as  result  of  the  growing  demand,  for  an-  administration  of  social 
and  industrial  justice,  we  are  today  investigating  and  inspecting  everything  “under 
the  sun”  and  then  investigating  the  investigators  in  seeming  search  of  a  plausible 
reason  for  present  industrial  policies,  and  a  reasonable  excuse  for  their  future 
existence. 

There  is  a  growing  consciousness  that  there  is  something  fundamentally 
wrong  in  conduct  of  social,  political  and  industrial  relations ;  Because  of  ignor¬ 
ance  as  to  what  this  something  is,  society  today  is  in  a  chaotic  condition  of  mis¬ 
trust,  distrust  and  discontent  that  is  breeding  disaffection,  desperation  and  an¬ 
archy,  stultifying  initiative  and  incentive  and  aborting  the  best  possible  advance¬ 
ment  in  industry  and  society.  Everyone  is  charging  every  other  one  as  being  the 
guilty  party :  The  public  mistrusts  the  retailer,  the  retailer  the  middleman,  the 
middleman  the  wholesaler,  and  finally  thew  all  accuse  the  “cook”  as  being  re¬ 
sponsible  for  the  so  called  condition — “High  cost  of  living,”  therefore  as  might 
be  supposed,  responsible  for  all  other  industrial  disturbances. 

In  the  following  brief  consideration,  it  is  purposed  to  definitely  fix  responsi¬ 
bility  for  causes  of  industrial  unrest,  to  disabuse  the  mind  of  any  reasonable  doubt 
as  to  the  evil  effects  and  to  suggest  what  my  findings  lead  me  to  believe  to  be  the 
most  feasible,  if  not  the  only  logical  remedy. 

For  benefit  of  those  who  -may  hasten  to  designate  this  as  a  socialist  article, 

1  will  say  that  it  contains  no  statement  of  fundamental  principle  or  policy  for 
which  socialism  stands.  My  whole  argument  is  based  upon  the  proposition  of 
sharing  the  NET  profits  of  co-operatively  produced  wealth,  that,  through  federal 
legislation,  such  action  shall  result  in  such  a  NATIONAL  MUTUALITY  in 
conduct  of  affairs  in  the  Industrial  Life  of  the  Nation,  as  will  “oust”  the  isms 
whether  it  be  the  capitalism,  socialism  or  any  of  our  multitude  of  isms, — -from 
the  realm  of  industry,  FOREVER. 

The  author,  while  being  optimistic  as  to  the  future,  presents  the  following 
pages  with  a  feeling  that  although  the  man,  who  could  devise  a  scheme  to  equalize 
social  and  industrial  conditions,  should  be  worthy  of  all  good  things,  he  had  best 
prepare  to  wear  a  thorned  crown  and  to  eat  figs  of  thistles.  However,  I  am  not  a 
pessimist ;  I  simply  base  my  hopes  and  fears,  for  the  future  of  this  country,  upon 
the  history  of  the  rise  and  downfall  of  nations. 

Combination  and  Corporation  Encouraged 

After  considerable  study  and  consideration  of  conditions  I  am  convinced  that 
the  causes  responsible  for  world-wide  industrial  and  social  unrest  are  universal  in 
application  and  results.  The  evil  conditions  are  the  result  of  a  system  in  which 
the  majority  have  been  passively  and  ignorantly  participating.  Under  this  system 
the  individual  is  hopefully  anticipating  that  some  day,  either  through  some  force 
of  circumstances  or  his  own  luck,  he  may  become  one  of  the  dominant  factors,  of  4 
the  system. 

The  great  problem  of  life  is  not  how  to  fight  to  gain  supremacy,  but  how  to 
transform  society  so  that  all  may  have  opportunity  to  be  good,  do  good,  and  to 
be  cheerful.  The  time  has  come,  in  social  and'  economic  history  of  the  people, 
when  the  self  satisfied  individual  who  ensconces  himself  behind  the  closed  doors 


to  opportunity  and  plenty,  and  who  cries  out  ‘from  behind  those  closed  doors — 
charity,  philanthropy,  Brotherhood !  can  no  longer  be  considered  a  loyal  citizen. 

We  are  a  resourceful  people,  surrounded  by  myriads  of  inexhaustible  re¬ 
sources,  but  unless  products  of  the  individual  effort  expended  in  their  develop¬ 
ment  are  conserved  to  the  welfare  of  that  individual,  we  at  once  confront  the  one 
serious  cause  of  industrial  unrest, — Exploitation.  To  become  a  victim  of  exploita¬ 
tion  one  must  be  deprived  of  something  which  rightfully  belongs  to  him  and  the 
reasonable  remedy  is  to  stop  exploitation  and  the  resultant  accumulation  of  ex¬ 
treme  wealth.  It  should  be  no  secret  that  the  foundation  rocks  upon  which  are 
broken  the  ties  which  should  bind  an  industrial  and  social  brotherhood,  are 
Equity,  Justice  and  Co-operation. 

Promotors  of  industry,  in  quest  of  personal  gain,  are  operating  under  the  scope 
of  corporate  organization  made  possible  through  suffrance  of  the  people ;  there¬ 
fore  their  operations  should  be  so  governmentally  controlled,  that  provision  for 
greatest  good  to  greatest  number  shall  be  the  rule  and  not  the  exception. 

diversified  industrial  operations  at  one  time  fairly  distributed  have,  as  a  re¬ 
sult  of  concentration  and  monopoly,  become  grouped  into  large  industrial  cen¬ 
ters,  as  result  of  economic  pressure  thus  brought  to  bear,  our  once  generally  pros¬ 
perous  and  resourceful  population  has  been  forced  to  forsake  the  rural  and  to  seek 
the  urban  in  search  of  employment ;  thus  it  is  our  large  cities  are  being  built  at 
expense  of  the  country  in  loss  of  population,  prosperity  and  social  solidarity. 

My  understanding  is  that  the  duties,  devolving  upon  the  Bureaus  of  Corpora¬ 
tions  Investigation,  are  to  investigate  the  industrial  operations  from  the  stand¬ 
point  of  monopoly  and  competition,  and  after  due  deliberation  to  make  recom¬ 
mendation  to  congress  as  to  best  policy  to  pursue, — exploitation  by  monopoly, 
annihilation  by  competition,  or  both. 

This  nation  is  industrially  diseased ;  Industrial  disease  begets  social  ills. 
Monopoly  is  a  disease ;  industry  represents  the  lungs  and  human  endeavor  the  life 
blood  of  a  nation,  and  monopoly  is  to  industry  what  consumption  is  to  humanity. 

Monopoly  eliminates  competition ;  competition  is  limited  to  the  scramble  of 
many  after  the  few  dollars  which  escape  the  concentrating  grasp  of  monopoly,  while 
under  so-called  free  competition,  the  success  of  one  results  in  undoing  of  others. 
In  either  instance  it  is  impossible  to  realize  a  general  condition  of  prosperity. 
Monopoly  exploits,  competition  annihilates.  Any  attempt  to  remedy  present  evils, 
by  eliminating  monopoly  and  restoring  competition,  is  useless  unless  provision  is 
made  for  equal  sharing  of  NET  profits  with  all  who  have  been  cooperatively  re¬ 
sponsible  for  their  production. 

No  war  should  be  made  against  corporations  unless  in  conduct  of  affairs  they 
either  become  a  barrier  to  general  welfare  or  wilfully  ignore  the  rights,  interests 
and  will  of  the  people.  We  should  be  seriously  concerned  as  to  stability  of  our 
corporate  system  of  industry,  why,  because  labor  is  the  most  vital  factor,  and  the 
vitality  of  an  organization  depends  upon  the  integrity  of  its  parts ;  therefore :  We 
should  favor  and  encourage  corporations,  more  combination,  co-operation,  and 
production  and  last,  but  best  a  square  deal  law  providing  that  net  profits  be  equit¬ 
ably  divided,  showing  that  we  favor  more  and  larger  distribution,  such  as  will 
make  exploitation  by  corporation  impossible.  Truly  there  is  need  for  either  an 
exposition  of  a  new,  or  a  new  interpretation  of  an  old,  Economics. 

Efficiency  of  Labor  and  Corporations 

Too  much  effort  is  being  made  these  days  to  increase  efficiency  of  manu¬ 
factories  and  all  corporations  without  a  corresponding  reward  for  increased  ef¬ 
ficiency  of  labor.  Efficiency  is  being  determined  by  ability  of  one  to  overcome 
economic  or  labor  efficiency  of  another,  therefore  present  system  negatives  idea 
of  individual  liberty  (The  right  of  one  to  make  the  best  for  himself  and  society 
without  denying  the  same  liberty  to  others). 

Reward  for  efficiency' cannot  be  reconciled  to  present  industrial  policy. 


Under  present  wage  system,  efficiency  cannot  determine  value  of  service,  for 
minimum  wage  labor  in  given  industry  in  one,  may  equal  efficiency  of  skilled  wage 
labor  in  another  state.  Minimum  wage  determination  is  being  based  not  upon 
efficiency  but  rather  upon  sex  and  physical  development. 

Equitable  industrial  relations  can  be  maintained  only  in  proportional  ratio  of 
the  purchasing  power  of  consumers  to  cost  price ;  Cost  price  becomes  magnified  as 
purchasing  power  becomes  limited ;  so  conditions  of  so-called  “high  cost  of  liv¬ 
ing”  can  best  be  considered  simply  the  low  wage  buying  power  of  the  “live’r”. 
Perhaps  it  is  only  a  seeming  coincidence,  but  “Dollar  Down  and  a  Dollar  a  Week,” 
and  “On  Easy  Terms”  have  become  stock  phrases  of  modern  commercial  adver¬ 
tising.  ^ 

Corporations  by  demanding  and  commanding  the  best  twenty  years  of  the 
toilers’  lifetime,  and  by  monopoly  of  the  toilers’  products  have  in  the  lifetime  of 
many  of  us  builded  a  few  corporations  valued  at  a  number  of  billions  of  dollars. 

As  result  of  these  operations  the  purchasing  power  of  the  toilers  has  been  limited,  * 
resulting  in  a  limited  income  to  the  varied  professions  and  trades.  Thus  we  find 
that  corporations  are  commanding  not  only  the  industrial  destiny  of  the  toilers, 
hut  the  social  and  economic  destiny  of  the  whole  people. 

Following  such  consideration  of  the  actual  conditions  existing  in  industry,  no 
fair  minded  individual  should  fail  to  recognize  the  fact  that  it  is  nothing  more  or 
less  than  a  colossal  farce  to  attempt  to  remedy  present  industrial  and  social  ills  by 
promoting  co-operative  stores,  social  centers,  vocational  schools,  etc.,  or  by  phil¬ 
anthropic  administration  of  charity,  either  through  municipal  markets  or  charit¬ 
able  organization  of  any  sort.  Once  establish  a  reign  of  industrial  justice  and 
there  will  be  little  need  for  charity. 

There  exists  today  two  most  incompatible  conditions  in  connection  with  op¬ 
erations  of  industry  and  commerce.  When  prices  are  high  and  business  prosperity 
seems  to  abound,  there  follows  popular  demand  for  decrease  in  cost  to  consumers 
with  seeming  purpose  of  increasing  general  prosperity. .  On  other  hand,  when 
prices  become  low  a*  general  business  depression  is  experienced,  followed  by  de¬ 
mand  on  part  of  all  corporate  interests,  sometimes  as  we  know  accompanied  by 
demands  of  employees,  for  increase  in  rates  to  consumers,  to  increase  commercial 
and  industrial  prosperity ,  upon  which  seems  to  depend  the  general  prosperity  of 
the  people.  Both  propositions  work  on  the  theory  of  ones  raising  himself  by  his 
bootstraps. 

Labor  occupies  a  unique  position  in  relation  to  industry,  for  application  of 
any  remedy  which  might  lower  cost  to  consumers  or  increase  income  to  toilers  in¬ 
terferes  with  present  industrial  operations,  and  “the  business  of  the  country  must 
not  be  disturbed.” 

Possibly  it  is  a  fair  contention,  that  one  bad  feature  in  connection  with  Union 
Labor  organization,  is  a  demand  for  a  standard  wage;  Employers  contend  that  it 
discriminates,  against  both  the  most  skilled  workman  and  the  employer  in  favor 
of  the  less  skilled  workman :  Resulting  in  differences,  between  the  employers,  em¬ 
ployees  and  the  union,  which  I  contend  can  only  be  righted  and  made  equitable 
by  employees  being  paid  according  to  their  pecuniary  value,  followed  by  a  sharing 
of  net  profits  with  all  who  have  been  physically  and  mentally  responsible  for  their 
production. 

My  sympathies  are  entirely  with  the  men  who  because  of  economic  pressure 
feel  forced  to  strike  to  better  their  conditions,  but  I  am  not  at  all  in  sympathy  ,t' 
with  the  strike  as  a  medium  through  which  to  improve  condition.  These  men  * 
proceed  to  force  better  conditions  by  demanding  a  better  wage,  shorter  hours,  and 
better  working  conditions.  Insofar  as  hours  and  working  conditions  are  concern¬ 
ed,  they  may  be  able  to  appreciate  permanent  results  if  they  are  able  to  lose  sight 
of  corresponding  increase  in  efficiency,  due  to  introduction  of  the  various  speed 
up  systems,  and  that  hours  and  conditions  do  not  go  a  long  way  toward  providing 
necessities. 


But  insofar  as  wages  are  concerned,  they  lose  an  entire  sight  of  fact,  that 
wage  is  one  factor  in  cost  of  production  and  that  possibly  they  might  realize  last¬ 
ing  benefits  from  increase  in  wage,  if  they  could  but  lose  sight  of  fact  that  their 
outgo  continues  to  grow  faster  than  their  income. 

There  are  only  two  possible  remedies  for' these  inequitable  conditions;  which 
of  the  two  propositions  shall  we  choose :  A  sharing  of  net  profits  to  increase  the 
buying  power  of  the  mass  of  people  or  the  only  alternative,  charity. 

Let  us  get  one  idea  definitely  fixed;  that  if  monopoly  of  net  profits  makes  the 
trust  then  the  only  remedy  for  the  Trust  and  its  accompanying  evils  will  be  a 
co-operative  sharing  of  net  profits. 

i  Any  attempt  to  improve  conditions  of  employees  by  increasing  the  wage  can 
result  only  in  failure,  because  wage  is  one  factor  in  cost  of  production,  therefore 
any  increase  in  wage  will  eventually  increase  the  cost  of  the  finished  product  to  the 
consumer. 

9  Nothing  outside  profits  of  labor  (t  ever  filled  a  pay  envelope A  Under  present 
system  there  can  be  no  such  thing  as  fair  wage,  for  wages  are  paid  out  of  earnings 
of  labor,  and  the  balance  goes  to  accumulation  of  extreme  wealth ;  a  fair  wage 
therefore,  means  unreasonable  exploitation  unless  labor  is  permitted  to  share  in 
that  which  has  been  co-operativejjproduced — the  NET  profits. 

To  increase  efficiency  of  corporations  to  the  people,  there  must  be  increased 
purchasing  power  of  the  masses,  which  would  increase  demand  for  products  of 
industry,  output  of  corporations,  numbers  engaged  in  both  the  corporations  and  in 
trade  and  commerce,  thus  adding  to  general  health,  zvealth  and  prosperity  of  the 
whole  people.  As  result  of  corporation  and  trust,  there  has  been  a  monopoly  of 
the  loaves  and  fishes,  and  for  at  least  one  generation  the  varied  organizations 
working  for  social  uplift  and  welfare  of  humanity  have  been  attempting  to  reach 
men’s  hearts  through  empty  stomachs,  and  it’s  a  cinch  that  it  can’t  be  done.  Give 
the  stomachs  an  equal  opportunity,  and  you  will  equalize  the  action  of  the  hearts. 

Present  policies  of  government  to  regulate  and  control  are  destructive  and 
negative  to  conditions  leading  to  economic  independence  of  the  people.  And  it 
seems  a  logical  suggestion  that  we  should  have  co-operative  distribution  following 
co-operative  production.  In  short,  manufacturing  concerns  and  other  corpora¬ 
tions  in  first  place  exploit  people  by  despoiling  country  of  its  resources ;  then  they 
despoil  the  millions  whose  labors  develop  the  resources  of  that  which  under  the 
■  normal  individual  production  would  be  dividend  to  the  individual.  Thus  corpora¬ 
tions  have  all  these  years  through  co-operative  effort  and  corporate  distribution 
;  been  absorbing  NET  profits  which  under  normal  conditions  would  have  been  ex¬ 
pended  by  laboring  millions  for  necessities  and  luxuries ;  thereby  providing  com- 
\  forts  and  happiness  to  themselves  and  good  market  for  commercial  and  profes- 
l  sional  trades. 

Too  many  are  being  mislead  by  belief,  that  if  the  unpleasant,  mean  duties  of 
society  are  to  be  performed,  a  mass  of  people  must  be  kept  in  unpleasant,  mean 
conditions :  On  the  surface  such  belief  seems  to  be  warranted,  but  let  us  look  be¬ 
neath  the  surface  of  present  day  procedure. 

It  is  folly  to  believe  that  laws  can  be  enacted  and  enforced  such  as  would 
equalize  the  mental,  physical  and  spiritual  ambitions,  and  desires  of  a  mass  of 
citizens ;  On  the  other  hand  it  is  reasonable  to  believe  that  laws,  to  provide  great¬ 
est  good  to  greatest  number,”  and  that  no  individual  material  prosperity  should 
L  be  realized  as  result  of  material  lose  of  another,  would  equalize  the  social,  ma¬ 
terial  and  economic  conditions  of  the  people,  without  equalizing  the  mental,  ca¬ 
pacities  and  physical  capabilities  or  ambitions  of  the  individuals.  Therefore  the 
same  conditions  would  still  exist,  wherein  there  would  be  many  diverse  pursuits, 
for  a  many  and  different  minded,  spirited  and  ambitioned  people. 

So  called  unearned  increment,  resulting  from  increase  in  valuation  of  indi¬ 
vidual  holdings,  exploits  no  one,  but  rather,  it  comes  about  as  result  of  a  gen¬ 
eral  increase  in  the  wealth  and  prosperity  of  the  community ;  and  cannot  be  com- 


pared  to  operation  of  monopoly  through  corporation  in  attempt  to  justify  accumu¬ 
lation  of  extreme  wealth  through  exploitation. 

Today  we  attempt  to  remedy  our  currency  system  with  seeming  purpose  of 
making  industrial  relations  more  equitable,  when  truth  is  that  the  defects  in  our 
corporate  system  of  industry  are  accessories  before  the  fact  to  any  inequitable 
monetary  relations.  For  instance :  the  combined  indebtedness  of  the  govern¬ 
ments  of  the  earth  is  estimated  at  forty-two  billions  of  dollars,  and  interest  an¬ 
nually  of  $1,750,000,000.00,  including  only  national  debts.  This  is  more  than  all 
the  money  of  all  the  earth  of  every  kind.  More  than  two-thirds  of  this  indebted¬ 
ness  was  made  during  the  past  half  century  through  our  systems  of  banking  and 
bonding,  which  have  been  building  out  of  the  accumulated  NET  profits  of  pro¬ 
ductive  labor.  Together  with  this  condition,  we  today  boast  of  having  in  the 
United  States,  alone,  two  hundred  corporations,  which  have  in  thirty  years  ac¬ 
cumulated  twenty-two  billion,  five  hundred  millions  in  wealth — more  than  half 
the  combined  debt  of  the  seventy-three  governments  of  the  earth,  and  with  gross 
income  three  times  greater  than  that  of  the  national  government. 

Peaceful  adjustment  of  our  industrial  relations  must  supercede  any  possible 
peaceful  adjustment  of  either  our  internal  labor  troubles  or  international  relations, 
and  I  repeat;  that  time  has  come  when  he  who  ensconces  himself  behind  the  closed 
doors  to  opportunity  and  plenty  can  no  longer  be  considered  a  loyal  citizen. 

As  result  of  a  fair  consideration  of  the  social  and  industrial  conditions,  one 
must  conclude  that  attainment  of  social  welfare  and  prosperity  is  baffled  by  a 
vain  attempt  to  reconcile  the  many  incompatible  propositions,  such  as  co-opera¬ 
tion  and  monopoly ;  equity  and  greed ;  honesty  and  avarice ;  high  prices  for  busi- 
*  ness  prosperity,  and  low  cost  for  consumers’  prosperity. 

Social  Progress 

It  seems  assured  that  industrial  reform  will  never  be  accomplished  by  those 
willing  to  carry  reform  only  so  far  as  not  to  interfere  with  present  industrial 
policy  of  distribution :  Industrial  conditions  should  be  such  that  the  nerve  wreck¬ 
ed  direlects,  of  the  two  extremes  of  our  social  and  industrial  system,  might  freely 
and  without  sacrifice  of  ample  remuneration,  change  their  occupation.  Thus  the 
nerve  wrecked,  brain  fagged  promoter,  professional,  business  man  or  laborer 
might  enter  the  ranks  of  the  toilers  and  by  productive  labor  add  to  general  wel¬ 
fare  without  pecuniary  sacrifice ;  and  the  output  of  nerve  wrecked  and  broken 
constitutions  recuperated  and  finally  eliminated  by  simply  co-operatively  sharing 
the  products  of  mental  and  manual  labor.  As  result  many  of  the  necessary  help¬ 
ful  things  being  left  undone  today  would  be  doing,  while  many  of  unnecessary, 
harmful  things  being  done,  would  be  left  undone. 

As  much  as  I  admire  the  good  intents  of  sanitariums  and  sanitoriums,  private 
and  public  asylums,  penal  and  charitable  institutions,  etc.,  I  much  more  abhor 
poverty,  slums,  disease  and  crime.  The  individual  suffers  most  as  result  of  lack 
of  elements  making  to  material  welfare,  which  condition  deprives  him  the  power 
of  resistance  to  physical  disabilities,  or  to  properly  alleviate  mental  and  physical 
sufferings  attendant  to  such  disability.  To  have  our  children  become  men  and  wo¬ 
men  and  stand  square  on  their  heels,  conditions  must  be  provided  whereby  pro¬ 
visions  can  be  made  for  their  material  welfare,  otherwise  they  become  shuffling 
slaves. 

Combinations  have  been  bred  by  the  avarice  of  man  resulting  in  corporation, 
trust  and  monopoly,  followed  by  conditions  of  deprivation,  want  and  of  nagging 
anxiety  of  the  mass  of  people  as  to  the  future.  Out  of  which  condition  has  grown 
the  necessity  for  charitable  and  philanthropic  organizations,  and  the  existence  of 
our  numerous  protective,  together  with  a  multitude  of  insurance  organizations  in¬ 
to  whose  hands  have  become  concentrated  a  vast  portion  of  the  wealth  of  the 
country,  all  in  the  name  of  civilization  and  national  prosperity.  The  material  wel- 


fare  of  the  manual  toilers  should  no  longer  be  limited  to  the  crumbs  which  fall 
from  the  table  of  prosperity. 

It  is  evident  that  present  inequitable  conditions  if  long  continued  will  result 
in  necessity  for  radical  change,  being  forced  upon  the  people.  So  we  should  be 
seriously  concerned  in  having  the  change  come  about  as  result  of  intelligent  public 
sentiment  popularly  expressed,  rather  than  from  violence  and  revolt  against  real 
or  fancied  conditions  of  oppression.  Nothing  can  be  gained  by  opposing  or  fight¬ 
ing  against  progress ;  We  must  assimilate  or  appropriate  it  and  work  with  it. 

The  Tariff  Benefactions 

In  the  latter  months  of  1913  we  are  handed  from  supposedly  good  authority, 
these  statements:  “The  Democratic  Tariff  program  is  forcing  the  corporate  inter¬ 
ests  of  this  country  to  remove  their  plants  to  Canada.”  “American  manufact¬ 
ories  have  completely  filled  the  American  market,  and  their  production  is  greatly 
in  excess  of  domestic  demand,  and  owing  to  lack  of  reciprocal  trade  agreements 
these  industries  cannot  remain  at  home  and  prosper.”  Nothing  is  said  as  to 
domestic  needs  being  satisfied,  that  American  manufacturers  are  selling  cheaper 
to  foreign  than  to  home  consumers ;  no  statement  is  made  of  the  fact  that  while 
paying  a  better  wage  they  can,  as  result  of  tariff  and  exploitation,  successfully  com¬ 
pete  with  products  of  cheap  foreign  labor  in  the  markets  of  the  world.  But 
it  reads  between  the  lines. 

We  know  that-  tariff  protection  adds  to  income  of  corporations ;  if  labor 
shared  in  the  net  profits  we  know  the  tariff  would  be  a  protection  to  and  add  to 
welfare  and  prosperity  of  both  American  institutions  and  all  American  labor ;  but 
under  present  industrial  policy,  boil  down  the  tariff  and  the  residue  is  a  benefit  to 
-corporate  interests. 

One  of  the  most  general  complaints  today  is  that  the  “professions  and  trades 
are  overcrowded ;”  by  which  is  meant  that  the  demand  for  services  are  more  than 
filled,  while  fact  is,  that  only  a  fraction  of  the  needs  for  services  have  been  sup¬ 
plied.  There’s  the  same  old  reason :  “Limited  buying  power.” 

Public  and  Private  Ownership 

It  appeals  to  me  that  it  would  be  well  if  we  might  have  government  or  mun¬ 
icipal  ownership  of  those  industries  such  as  public  utility  corporations,  wherein 
such  ownership  would  result  in  increase  in  public  service,  decrease  in  rates  to  con¬ 
sumer,  and  increase  in  employees  and  their  income.  But  those  industries  such  as 
are  of  Inter-state  import  commercially  or  local  in  their  service  to  the  public, 
wherein  public  ownership  would  limit  or  decrease  the  number  of  employed,  should 
be  so  governmentally  controlled  as  to  require  a  sharing  in  NET  profits.  Thus  the 
operations  of  both  public  and  private  industry  would  be  conducive  to  a  maximum 
buying  power  and  industrial  and  economic  stability  of  all  employees  and  their 
dependants,  who  constitute  95  per  cent  plus  of  the  mass  of  consumers. 

There  is  a  growing  popular  demand  for  social  and  industrial  justice.  In¬ 
dustrial  unrest  has  become  so  potent  a  factor  in  our  national  life  as  to  make  per¬ 
sonal  deceit,  as  to  its  magnitude  and  serious  social  import,  one  of  the  great  barriers 
to  popular  social  and  industrial  progress.  If  we  would  thwart  the  blind  impulsive 
effort  of  some  “ism”  to  in  some  manner,  even  to  resort  to  revolution,  compel  ac¬ 
ceptance  of  social  and  industrial  policies,  application  of  which  we  might  well 
least  desire — some  corrective  policies,  in  methods  of  promotion,  production  and 
distribution  must  be  adopted,  which  will  equalize  conditions  as  between  promoters, 
producers  and  consumers. 

Inequitable  industrial  relations  are  produced  when  corporation  monopolizes 
an  industry.  Such  operation  monopolizes  the  individual  right,  power  and  privilege 
to  promote  and  profit  in  the  industry.  The  individuals  are  forced  to  produce  for 
the  corporation  and  the  profits  which  under  normal  production  would  accrue  to 


the  individual,  accrue  as  dividends  to  the  corporation.  Such  procedure  has  re¬ 
sulted  in  monopoly  of  practically  every  industrial  undertaking  in  this  country  or 
the  world. 

While  corporation  increases  efficiency  and  decreases  cost,  the  trouble  arises 
from  fact  that  it  increases  income  to  corporation  (few)  who  represent  the  22 
billion  500  million  . dollar  corporations  and  limits  income  to  toilers  (the  rfiany)  who 
represent' both  the  salt  and  the  slums  of  the  earth.  The  fact  is  that  increased 
efficiency  and  decreased  cost  is  obtained  wholly  at  the  expense  of  toilers. 

A  corporation,  large  or  small,  monopolizes  the  product  of  the  laborers,  and  it 
seems  most  unreasonable  procedure  for  government  to  attempt  to  remedy  present 
ills,  either  by  splitting  large  corporations  into  smaller  units,  each  of  which  ex- 
poits  its  workers  by  monopoly  of  net  profits,  or  by  sharing  in  the  spoils  of  ex¬ 
ploitation  through  the  mediums  of  corporation,  income  or  inheritance  tax,  etc. 
The  growing  popular  demand  today  is  for  a  simple  administration  of  justice. 

Products  of  industry  have  to  great  extent  become  of  inter-state  import  com¬ 
mercially,  and  time  has  come  when  Federal  legislation  to  control  our  industrial 
operations  is  an  absolute  essential.  Let  us  do  away  with  the  present  system  of 
petty  regulation  and  control  and  establish  a  few  fundamental,  basic  laws,  of  equity 
and  justice  to  which  all  must  conform. 

Equitable  Distribution 

After  the  mental  and  manual  laborers  in  an  industry  have  been  remunerated 
for  investment  of  time,  mental  ability  and  labor  service  according  to  pecuniary 
value/ every  one  has  been  equally  essential  and  responsible  for  production  of  any 
NET  profits,  and  should  share  equally  in  those  profits.  It  resolves  into  a  simple 
problem  of  ratio  and  proportion.  If  these  men  have  been  paid  or  remunerated  in 
ratio  to  investment  of  service,  through  the  productive  stage,  they  surely  stand  in 
equal  ratio  as  to  responsibility  for  the  production  of  any  NET  profits  and  should 
share  equally  in  their  distribution. 

A  natural  deduction  is  that  a  cash  investor  should  receive  only  a  legitimate 
interest,  for  unless  he  becomes  one  of  the  active  force  he  has  made  no  other  in¬ 
vestment.  Cash  investment  remunerated  on  a  basis  of  maximum  productive  effort 
of  mass  of  toilers  is  the  greatest  factor  to  exploitation  by  corporation,  and  will 
forever  preclude  possibility  of  man  being  rated  higher  than  dollars  and  cents  in 
the  industrial  evolution. 

It  is  as  implacably  against  the  laws  of  economics,  that  increase  in  dividends 
is  due  to  the  increased  earning  power  of  the  dollar,  as  it  is  that  the  dollar  invest¬ 
ed  in  our  industrial  operations  pays  the  wages.  Granting  those  propositions,  there 
can  be  but  one  conclusion,  that  it  is  the  increased  efficiency  of  labor  power  to  pro¬ 
duce  which  makes  possible  an  increase  in  dividends  to  corporation ;  therefore  if 
the  laws  of  economics  are  to  be  consistantly  adhered  to,  a  reasonable  amount  of 
net  profits  must  revert  to  the  powers  that  produced  them. 

We  often  hear  it  said:  “If  anyone  is  smarter  than  I,  and  is  able  to  make  a 
million  or  a  hundred  million,  it’s  his  business ;  no  questions  asked.”  It  does  seem 
penurious  in  one  to  complain  of  a  system,  wherein  one,  by  selling  chewing  gum  to 
children  at  a  penny  a  stick,  accumulates  several  millions  of  dollars.  But,  when  you 
consider  that  the  accumulation  results  not  only  from  a  large  profit  on  the  stick  of 
gum,  but  from  monopoly  of  profits  and  exploitation  of  women  and  children  en¬ 
gaged  in  manufacture,  as  well ;  it  resolves  into  a  penny  ante  game,  with  pennies 
all  going  one  way.  < 

While  the  gum  proposition  is  a  big  business  in  a  small  way;  how  about  the 
big  business  in  a  big  way  with  the  large  profits  monopolized,  together  with  ex¬ 
ploitation  of  workmen  engaged  in  manufacture?  When  we  come  to  understand 
that  these  conditions  have  come  about,  not  so  much  because  of  the  superior  intel¬ 
ligence  of  someone,  but  more  because  of  our  inferior  ignorance ;  What  are  we  to 
do  about  it? 


My  contention  is  that  the  same  governmental  powers  which  provide  ways 
and  means  for  so  perfect  a  system  of  co-operation  iff  production  can  also  pro¬ 
vide  for  the  co-operative  distribution  of  the  co-operatively  produced  NET  pro¬ 
fits.  Government  which  makes  laws  making  existence  of  corporation  and  co-op¬ 
erative  production  under  corporate  management  possible,  thereby  making  ac¬ 
cumulation  of  extreme  wealth  possible,  can  also  make  laws,  requiring  an  equitable 
distribution  of  the  NET  profits  of  that  system. 

Thousands  are  aware  that  the  laws  of  compensation  are  sorely  out  of  tune, 
but  because  of  the  gradual  growth  are  unable  to  associate  the  evil  conditions  with 
any  other  than  natural  causes,  thus  they  remain  passive  and  ignorant  participants 
in  the  support  of  the  system.  I  believe  the  statement  of  Joseph  E.  Davies,  Chair¬ 
man  of  the  Bufeau  of  Corporations  Investigation,  to  be  absolutely  true,  that 
“Civilization  is  a  die’;  if  after  bringing  these  institutions  into  being  it  could  not 
deflect  their  power  so  they  would  not  become  a  Frankenstine  to  destroy  the  lib- 
y  erties  of  men.”  (If  it  be  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive,  to  what  region  of 
the  beyond  should  our  present  system  of  industry  be  relegated?) 

Constructive  Legislation 

As  man  is  the  only  creature  which  will  suffer  for  food  in  the  midst  of  plenty, 
the  reason  being  that  he  has  been  taught  respect  for  law,  the  one  thing  above  all 
others  for  which  we  should  strive  is  constructive  legislation. 

A  law  to  be  constructive,  greatest  good  to  the  greatest  number — and  the  only 
constructive  laws,  on  statutes  of  any  state  or  nation,  are  laws  which  make  such 
provision — should  provide  that  when  promoters,  clerks,  agents  and  all  classes  of 
labor  have  invested  their  time,  mental  ability  and  labor  service  and  have  been  re¬ 
munerated  in  proportion  to  their  pecuniary  value  to  the  corporation.  When 
stockholders  have  been  remunerated  by  a  legitimate  interest  and  after  all  ex¬ 
penses  have  been  paid,  then  it  should  be  provided  that  every  one  actively  engaged 
should  share  equally  in  any  NET  profits. 

The  question  is  often  asked  “But  how  about  the  man  who  invests  all  the 
money  and  takes  all  the  chances?”  That  whole  proposition  has  been  run  on  the 
principle  of  “ heads  I  win,  and  tails  you  lose ”  policy,  and  invariably  monopoly  has 
flipped  the  coin,  and  I  would  cite  the  existence  of  our  twenty-two  billion,  five  hun¬ 
dred  million  dollar  corporations. 

Individuals  in  control  of  corporations  should  prosper  only  as  result  of  legiti¬ 
mate  returns  on  investments  or  as  result  of  their  own  efforts,  and  not  by  monopoly 
of  NET  profits  produced  as  result  of  maximum  productive  power  of  manual  labor. 
Otherwise  “our  children  shall  not  be  men  but  slaves  to  an  industrial  heirarqhy  or  a 
governmental  despotism.”  Let  us  make  the  simple  adjustment  whereby  co-oper¬ 
ation  in  distribution  shall  accompany  co-operation  in  production. 

If  the  twenty-two  billion  five  hundred  million  dollar  corporations  are  the  re¬ 
sult  of  an  accumulation  of  NET  profits,  we  can  as  well  stop  the  commission  hunt 
for  gas  leaks  and  foul  morass  in  Qur  social  and  industrial  life,  for  if  we  would 
remedy  the  evils  of  corporation,  trust  and  monopoly,  we  have  only  to  share  the 
NET  profits  with  all  who  have  been  responsible  for  their  production.  The  time 
for  action  is  now,  even  the  near  future  may  be  too  late  to  harmonize  and  equalize 
the  relations  and  conditions  between  the  corporations  and  working  men. 

i  Co-operative  Production 

vs. 

Corporate  Distribution 

Corporation  and  cooperation  should  be  synonymous  in  so  far  as  corporate 
production  and  distribution  are  concerned.  As  we  have  a  most  perfect  system  of 
cooperative  production,  the  most  essential  constructive  law  will  be  one  which  pro- 


vides  as  nearly  a  perfect  system  of  cooperative  distribution. 

Cooperation  carried  on  by  corporation  (Combination)  through  productive 
stage  and  only  to  point  of  distribution  can  result  only  in  misfortune  to  a  majority  ; 
and  “does’th  not  the  good  book  t’say,  that  man  born  of  woman  t’shall  be  of  but  a 
few  Cays  and  full  of  trouble”  ? 

As  cooperation  and  combination  are  inevitable  and  beneficial,  law  should 
preserve  the  good  but  suppress  the  evil  in  combination  (corporation)  ;  For  in¬ 
stance,  we  have  a  well  regulated  system  of  cooperative  production ;  in  fact,  inso¬ 
far  as  children  and  women  are  concerned,  the  efforts  in  production  are  too  well 
distributed ;  but  there  ends  cooperation ;  Corporation  now  provides  an  evil  de¬ 
structive  policy  of  distribution,  compelling  an  abnormal  labor  effort  of  the  family. 

Women  and  children  are  not  in  the  industrial  arena  from  choice,  but  as  matter 
of  necessity.  Men  are  laboring  as  matter  of  choice,  prompted  by  desire  to  organize 
and  maintain  a  family,  from  which  should  emanate  the  stability  and  life  blood  of  a 
nation.  Any  factors,  interfering  in  any  way  with  the  fulfillment  of  those  desires, 
are  a  crime  against  society  and  civilization. 

Commercial  and  Industrial  conditions  are  such  that  we  today  can  buy  neces¬ 
sities  for  less  than  at  any  time  before  the  advent  of  corporation ;  so  there  can  be 
but  one  conclusion ;  that  it  is  not  the  increasing  cost  but  rather  the  decreased  buy¬ 
ing  power  of  consumers  that  results  in  the  socalled  condition ;  “High  cost  of 
living.” 

The  lesson  to  be  taught  to  our  children  in  the  schools,  to  our  teachers, 
preachers,  business  men  and  to  our  legislators  is :  That  the  attainment  of  economic 
independence  amongst  the  masses  would  add  materially  to  development  of  genius, 
stimulate  incentive  to  progress  and  make  possible  the  realization  of  the  greatest 
possible  advancement  in  science,  art,  industry  and  society. 

Finally,  Socialism,  with  any  faults  it  may  have,  embodies  the  only  plan 
presented  today  through  which  an  equitable  distribution  of  products  of  human 
toil  can  be  realized ;  but,  we  must  recognize  that  socialism  necessitates  cooper¬ 
ation  ;  but  that  cooperation  does  not  necessitate  socialism. 

Socialism  stands  for  ideal  conditions  of  cooperation  and  efficiency  and  with 
present  popular  trend  toward  the  idea  of  universal  unity  and  Brotherhood  of 
things,  any  organized  movement  to  beat  socialism  across  must  make  provision  for 
cooperation  in  distribution ;  the  essential  factor — Material  Equity — must  become 
one  of  its  cardinal  principles. 

Meditate  for  a  moment,  on  the  fact  that  Illinois  can  furnish  corn  to  supply 
the  people  of  this  country  if  not  of  the  whole  world,  then  think  of  the  fall  you 
must  take  to  reach  the  plane  upon  which  commerce  and  industry  are  being  oper¬ 
ated  today. 

The  farmers  are  attempting  to  overcome  the  evil  effects,  that  monopoly  in 
manufacturing  and  other  corporate  concerns  is  bringing  to  bear  upon  them,  by 
creating  buying  and  selling  organizations  of  which  there  are  now  several  thou¬ 
sand  working  in  interest  of  better  prices..  If  they  are  successful  in  getting  desired 
results  they  but  add  to  the  evil  effects  of  monopoly — higher  rates  on  products  and 
decreased  purchasing  power  of  the  mass  of  people ;  Forcing  of  higher  prices  works 
greatest  injustice  to  those  already  burdened. 

The  present  policy,  of  increasing  efficiency  and  improving  method  in  produc¬ 
tion  and  marketing,  must  be  followed  by  increased  income  and  purchasing  power 
of  millions  of  toilers  and  consumers,  otherwise  a  large  mass  of  the  people  become 
less  and  less  able  to  take  advantage  of  the  improved  conditions.  We  have  need 
for  better  market ;  the  most  essential  need  to  free  movement  of  farm  products  is  a 
free  and  easy  market  produced  not  by  forced  sale,  but  by  increased  purchasing 
power. 

If  the  mass  of  people  were  providing  themselves  with  necessities  the  pleas¬ 
urable  occupation  of  farming  would  also  become  more  profitable  to  the  farmer, 
and  perhaps  less  so  to  manipulators  of  boards  of  trade  and  Wall  Street.  It  is 


reasonable  to  presume  that  a  large  percent  of  forfeitures  of  land  is  due  to  the 
same  condition  which  cause  so  large  a  per  cent  of  forfeitures  and  failures,  in  the 
business  world,  that  is,  the  limited  buying  power  of  a  large  mass  of  our  citizens. 

You  talk  of  prohibiting  interlocking  directorates.  What  are  you  to  do  about 
the  community  of  interest  existing  today,  in  every  city,  village  and  hamlet  where 
corporation  exists,  between  the  corporations  and  the  few  moneyed  interests  there 
existing?  Corporate  industries  as  organized  and  operated  today  are  a  community 
of  interest  to  a  few.  The  moneyed  interests  in  a  manufacturing  City  have  no  need 
to  organize  a  union  for  mutual  protection,  they  simply  invest  in  varied  industries 
and  the  operation  of  monopoly  through  the  corporations  does  the  rest. 

Union  Labor  is  accused  of  working  for  special  legislation  to  the  upbuilding 
of  a  labor  trust;  while  fact  is,  that  labor  is  simply  endeavoring  to  bring  about 
^  conditions  wherein  the  wealth,  which  is  mutually  created,  shall  be  so  distributed 
as  to  be  of  greatest  possible  mutual  benefit.  But  the  question  arises:  Would 
acquirement  of  things  demanded  by  labor — better  wages,  working  hours  and  con- 
w  ditions — result  in  the  greatest  possible  mutual  benefit?  Are  the  demands  in 
keeping  with  results  they  would  most  wish  to  accomplish? 

When  labor  comes  to  understand  that  monopoly  of  net  profits  results  in 
accumulation  of  extreme  wealth;  that  the  buying  power  and  economic  stability 
of  toilers  can  increase,  only  in  ratio  to  the  decreased  power  of  corporations  to 
exploit  and  monopolize ;  then  will  organized  labor  make  demand  for  that  to  which 
they  are  justly  entitled: — a  share  in  the  Net  Profits. 

In  answer  to  the  question :  What  should  be  considered  an  equitable  dis¬ 
tribution  of  cooperatively  produced  wealth?  I  would  say  that  the  income  to 
toilers,  mental  and  manual  in  industry  should  be  sufficient  to  provide  present 
necessities  and  future  expectancies  to  such  extent  as  not  to  forfeit  same  provisions 
I  to  employers  and  vice  versa.  In  the  light  of  present  day  accumulations  of 
extreme  wealth  and  abject  poverty  it  is  very  evident  that  no  provision  is  made 
for  such  equitable  division  of  profit. 

The  one  thing  of  greatest  national  import,  to  be  accomplished  today,  is  the 
rescue  of  our  present  corporate  system  of  industry  from  the  ravages  of  its  own 
misguided  conduct.  The  operation  of  monopoly  is  working  to  the  very  condition 
which  today  is  most  abhorent  to  the  moneyed  interest,  and  promoters  of  industry, 
that  is,  a  Cooperative  Common  Wealth.  If  in  next  generation  corporate  wealth 
increases  in  proportional  ratio  to  its  growth  in  past  twenty-five  years,  there  is 
reason  to  believe  that  the  wealth  of  the  nation  will  be  so  concentrated  as  to 
result  in  one  of  two  conditions,  either  the  government  will  take  over  the  control 
of  industrial  operations,  or  there  will  be  a  fall  followed  by  revolution,  either  of 
which,  we  perhaps  might  well  least  desire. 

To  bring  about  a  national  mutuality,  in  conduct  of  social  and  industrial 
affairs,  may  eventually  necessitate  the  elimination  of  party  politics.  It  is  a  recog¬ 
nized  fact  today,  that  owing  to  party  affiliations,  the  conduct  of  the  people’s  repre¬ 
sentatives  in  the  legislative  affairs,  often  results  in  obstruction  and  defeat  of 
legislation  in  best  interest  of  the  people.  There  can  be  no  doubt  but  the  day  is 
not  far  distant  when  the  disposition  of  the  things  of  importance  in  legislative 
affairs  will  partake  only  of  the  nature  of  mutual  helpfulness. 

To  mutually  help  a  community,  municipal,  state  or  national,  necessitates 
cooperation,  and  with  due  respect  to  all  political  parties  let  me  suggest  that 
the  industrial — political  or  the  political-industrial  warfare  is  on  between  socialism 
^  with  cooperative  ideals,  and  our  corporate  system  of  industry  with  its  ideal  condi¬ 
tions  of  concentration,  exploitation  and  monopoly. 

As  result  of  monopoly,  due  to  modern  methods  of  production  and  distri¬ 
bution,  children  and  women  are  laboring  in  vain  attempt  to  undo  the  evils  of 
a  system,  which  deprives  heads  of  families  from  sharing  in  cooperatively  pro¬ 
duced  wealth.  Therefore,  as  I  previously  stated  as  man  is  the  only  animal  which 
will  suffer  for  food  in  the  midst  of  plenty,  the  reason  being  that  he  has  been 


taught  respect  for  law,  we  should  have  a  constructive  law,  “a  square  deal”, 
providing  that  everyone  toiling  in  corporation  shall  oven  his  own  job,  in  so  far  as 
an  equitable  sharing  in  NET  profits  would  equal  an  equitable  ownership  in  the 
cooperatively  produced  wealth.  Such  equitable  distribution  would  be  equal  to  a 
condition  of  individual  ownership  in  machines  or  means  of  production  and  of 
every  man  owning  his  own  job,  and  having  somewhere  fairly  near  the  net  product 
of  his  labor. 

Cooperation  in  distribution  is  the  only  feasible  method  of  solution  to  solve  the 
problem  that  modern  machinery  has  broiight.  One  may  as  well  undertake  to 
increase  the  fertility  of  a  hundred  acres  by  fertilizing  one  rod  of  the  land,  as  to 
attempt  to  increase  the  economic  stability  and  industrial  independence  of  the 
laborers  in  corporations,  by  present  methods  of  profit  sharing. 

Effect  follows  cause,  effort  expended  in  remedying  effects  is  endless  and 
useless,  for  instance,  we  scandalize  and  unseat  our  public  officials  who  have  fallen 
to  the  invisible  government,  but  we  continue  to  extend  popular  suff ranee  to 
monopoly  and  money  trust.  We  tax  and  bond  the  people  to  maintain  charitable 
and  penal  institutions,  but  extend  popular  suffrance  to  corporate  control  of  re¬ 
sources  and  industry.  We  formulate  Federal  laws,  licensing  corporations  to 
monopolize  resources  and  products,  then  laws  to  regulate  child  and  woman 
labor,  hours  of  labor,  to  regulate  trust,  to  provide  working  men’s  compensations, 
etc.,  but  in  all  these  we  commit  no  act  to  remedy  the  cause  of  all  the  evil  effects 
we  seek  to  better.  It  was  Thomas  Paine  who  said,  “England  lost  her  liberty  in 
a  long  chain  of  right  reasoning  from  wrong  principles.” 

As  I  have  said  let  us  make  the  simple  adjustment  whereby  cooperation  in 
distribution  shall  accompany  cooperation  in  production.  Give  us  equitable  dis¬ 
tribution  of  NET  PROFITS  under  present  corporate  system  of  industry. 
I  repeat :  A  corporation  large  or  small  monopolizes  its  products,  and  it  is  folly  to 
attempt  regulation  by  splitting  large  into  smaller  corporations,  each  of  which 
exploits  its  workers  of  NET  profit,  or  by  such  laws  as  the  income  tax  law, 
which  affects  only  a  small  portion  of  the  corporately  produced  wealth  of  this 
country.  Provide  for  equitable  distribution,  then  provide  for  a  morally  legitimate 
tax,  upon  the  equitably  distributed  wealth  of  this,  country,  thea  zvatch  civilization 
become  civilized. 

Equitable  distribution  of  net  profits,  of  cooperatively  produced  wealth  would 
do  away  with  a  large  per  cent  of  the  social  evil  and  industrial  unrest  of  today. 
Corporation  is  a  creature  of  the  law ;  corporate  monopoly  exploits  country  of 
resources  and  toilers  of  NET  profits.  The  life  of  trade  and  comm*erce  depends 
upon  the  purchasing  power  of  the  mass  of  consumers,  and  monopoly  of  NET 
profits  limits  that  purchasing  power,  and  limited  purchasing  power  limits  econ¬ 
omic  and  social  stability  of  the  mass  of  citizens,  and  tends  to  a  condition  of  pov¬ 
erty,  slums,  disease  and  crime  among  the  mass  of  people,  whose  efforts  are 
responsible  for  the  wonderful  industrial  growth  and  material  prosperity  of  this 
country. 

Special  Features 

The  limited  income  to  men  results  in  necessity  for  child  and  woman  labor. 
Six  to  eight  years  in  industry  unfits  woman  for  motherhood  and  predisposes  off¬ 
spring  to  nervous  and  physical  disorders,  and  predestines  them  to  the  tender 
mercies  of  some  charitable  asylum  or  penal  institution.  The  same  industrial 
conditions  are  making  mental  and  physical  wrecks  of  the  manhood  of  this 
country,  and  what  can  we  prophecy  for  the  future  generations. 

Equitable  distribution  of  cooperatively  produced  NET  profits,  besides  bet¬ 
tering  many  other  conditions,  would  do  away  with  necessity  for  child  and  woman 
labor,  limit  necessity  for  demand  for  woman  suffrage  and  divorce,  stimulate 
incentive  and  efficiency  amongst  the  mass  of  workers  and  put  the  petty  bosses  to 
work.  It  would  also  limit  necessity  for  our  numerous  charitable  and  philan- 


thropic  organizations,  which  today  represent  by  far  too  large  a  horde  of  non¬ 
productive  forces  in  this  country.  ‘It  is  mighty  unfortunate  for  the  few  to  have  a 
bunch  of  poor  relation,  but,  if  it  were  not  for  the  exorbitant  wealth  of  a  few  there 
would  be  fewer  poor  and  unfortunate  relatives.’ 

For  the  sake  of  humanity  let  us  have  such  an  equitable  disposition  of  our 
disturbed  industrial  conditions  as  will  result  in  such  national  mutuality  in  conduct 
of  social  and  industrial  affairs  as  will  eliminate  the  present  calamitous  conditions 
of  over  work  and  compulsory  idleness. 

Besides  the  power  of  corporations  to  exploit,  concentrate  and  monopolize 
natural  resources  and  products  of  industry,  there  is  another  special  feature  in 
connection  with  operation  of  monopoly  through  corporation,  that  is,  the  exacting 
$  demand  for  cash  payment.  The  one  who  demands  it,  gets  it,  there  is  not  enough 
to  go  around. 

"  As  result  of  corporate  operations  in  demanding  best  twenty  years  of -toilers 
U  life  time  and  monopoly  of  net  profits,  which  limits  purchasing  power  of  mass 
¥  of  consumers,  together  with  exacting  demand  for  cash  payment  for  products ; 
the  mass  of  people  engaged  in  trade  and  commerce  are  compelled  to  participate 
in  'unreasonable  competition,  unreasonable  and  unseasonable  hours  of  labor,  and 
with  all  that  are  obliged  to  extend  unreasonable  credit  before  being  (remuner¬ 
ated)  for  their  services.  The  effects  of  those  conditions  are  evidence  every  day  in 
the  dissolutions  and  failures  taking  place  in  the  commercial  life  of  the  country. 

Another  feature,  that  gives  promise  of  a  healthful  and  helpful  mental  revo¬ 
lution,  is  the  fact  that  those  engaged  ii\  management  of  branch  concerns  of  cor¬ 
porations  are  fast  realizing  that  there  exists  a  condition  of  inequitable  distri¬ 
bution,  they  find  that  the  greater  their  effort  and  larger  the  amount  of  business, 
the  larger  the  income  to  the  parent  concern,  but  that  their  salaries  and  wages  of 
subordinates  remain  flat.  Such  condition  dominates  the  domain  of  commerce  and 
industry  to  stich  extent  as  to  preclude  possibility  of  amicable  relations,  between 
corporations,  toilers  and  consumers  and  is  paralyzing  individual  incentive  to 
proficiency,  economic  stability,  and  industrial  independence. 

The  constitution  needs  no  amending.  “A  government  of  the  people,  by  the 
people  and  for  the  people  ?”  “Equal  rights  to  all  and  special  privileges  to  none  ?” 
A  representative  and  supposedly  popular  government  becomes  .a  colossal  farce 
when  the  articles  of  the  constitution  which  are  fundamentally  essential  to  social 
well  being  are  ignored,  and  present  calamitous  conditions  allowed  free  reign 
because  of  precedent  of  past  bad  legislation. 

It  is  impossible  to  make  everybody  good  by  legislation,  but  you  can  by  legis¬ 
lation  make  environments  good,  thereby  making  possible  a  better  citizenship. 
It  is  up  to  the  Federal  legislators  to  harmonize  and  equalize  conditions  between 
our  corporate  system  of  industry  and  the  working  men,  thereby  insuring  the 
future  industrial  welfare,  and  social  solidarity  of  the  best  country  on  earth. 

No  individual  however  rich,  should  be  deprived  the  necessities  and  luxuries 
of  life,  for  when  want  for  necessities  becomes  too  insistent  one  becomes  a 
cringing  slave,  therefore,  no  man  should  be  deprived  the  rights  of  equal  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  acquire  the  necessities,  luxuries  and  pleasures  of  life. 

Perhaps  in  the  final  analysis  this  is  what  we  might  best  wish  to  accomplish, 
that  those  with  an  ax  to  grind  should  be  compelled  to  do  their  grinding  at  a  grind 
stone  run  in  the  interest  of  the  people,  by  the  people,  and  for  the  people,  other- 
i  wise  they  should  grind  on  their  own  grind  stone  and  swing  their  own  ax. 

Constructive  laws  to  control  industrial  and  commercial  affairs- — laws  provid¬ 
ing  greatest  good  to  greatest  numbers — together  with  equitable  enforcement  of 
laws,  to  properly  preserve  social  order,  would  provide  conditions  wherein  all 
individuals  would  be  constrained  to  do  the  best  for  society  as  well  as  for  them¬ 
selves  ;  then  would  popular  sovereignty  be  assured,  and  social  accord,  industrial 
peace  and  prosperity  abound. 


3  0112  061796900  CONCLUSION 


In  the  foregoing  pages,  there  has  been  an  attempt  to  express  briefly  an< 
simple  language,  devoid  of  petty  personal  bickerings  and  incriminations,  what 
been  said  regarding  the  general  conditions  which  have  resulted  in  so  much 
social  evil,  political  discord  and  industrial  unrest. 

Too  many  reform  ideas  are  narrow  in  their  viewpoint,  pessimistic  in  tl| 
outlook  and  selfish  in  their  purpose,  and  for  want  of  encouragement  fall  by 
wayside.  But  those  reformers,  who  today,  are  sincerely  working  for  a  gen\ 
betterment,  of  Social  and  Industrial  conditions,  have  reason  to  be  optimistic 
to  the  future  of  American  Institutions.  Because  of  the  fact,  that  all  otj] 
means  having  been  exhausted,  there  remains  the  one  and  only  remedy  tof 
applied  to  settlement  of  our  disturbed  industrial  and  social  conditions, 
that  is,  JUSTICE. 


Those  readers,  who  may 
have  become  in  any  way  int¬ 
erested  in  the  text  of  this  little 
booklet,  are  respectfully  in¬ 
vited  to  lend  their  efforts  in 
spreading  the  Gospel  of  Social 
and  Industrial  Justice. 

Copies  of  this  Booklet  can 
be  procured  by  writing  E.  H. 
Coller,  Battle  Creek,  Mich. 

Five  cents,  single  copy;  25 
copies,  $1.00;  $3.75  per  hund¬ 
red  copies.  Special  organiza¬ 
tion  rates  on  lots  of  1000  on 
application. 


